Eight student teams from the Clinton School will complete public service projects across Arkansas during the 2010-2011 academic year.
Teams of four students will complete the projects which focus on issues such as injury prevention, race relations, childhood obesity, violence prevention and sustainability.
A total of 32 students will complete the Practicum (group) projects as part of the school’s Master of Public Service degree program. The Practicum is one of three projects students complete during the two-year program.
“Our program is unique because we put our students into the field right away so they can not only make a positive impact, but also learn how to be better public servants,” said Clinton School Dean Skip Rutherford. “We are grateful to all of our partner organizations and look forward to seeing the positive results of each project.”
The school heard from a record number of organizations interested in working with Clinton School students this year, Rutherford said. Ultimately, a list of 20 finalists was narrowed to eight.
The 2010-2011 Clinton School Practicum projects include:
The Arts & Science Center for Southeast Arkansas, Southeast Arkansas
The Arts & Science Center provides opportunities for the practice, teaching, performance, enjoyment and understanding of the arts and sciences. This team will engage the diverse community in Pine Bluff in the development of a new strategic plan for the center through needs assessments, surveys, interviews and focus groups.
Delta Garden Study, Arkansas Delta
The Delta Garden Study is a $2 million cooperative agreement between the USDA Agricultural Research Service and the Arkansas Children’s Hospital Research Institute to examine the impact of school gardens on childhood obesity risk factors in middle school youth in the Delta region of Arkansas. This team will create a sustainability resource manual designed to support school gardens after their year in the research study is completed.
Girl Scouts – Diamonds of Arkansas, Oklahoma and Texas, Statewide
The Diamonds Council’s mission is to build girls of courage, confidence and character who make the world a better place. The council seeks to make the Girl Scout program accessible to all girls within the region. This team will study and make recommendations on how the council can better serve the growing Hispanic community.
Injury Prevention Center at Arkansas Children’s Hospital, Statewide
The Injury Prevention Center evaluates and disseminates various educational strategies to reduce child injury, death and disability. The center will partner with the Arkansas Department of Health to assist with injury prevention components of the statewide trauma system under development in Arkansas. This team will conduct a needs assessment of current injury prevention activities and resources of the potential trauma centers throughout the state. The data will allow the center to disseminate appropriate resources in the future to the trauma centers.
Phillips Community College of the University of Arkansas, Phillips County
Phillips Community College of the University of Arkansas in Helena-West Helena has been implementing programs to eliminate class and race barriers to education for its students. This team will continue this work by planning and implementing a small-group dialogue-to-action project around the issue of race.
Pine Bluff Area Community Foundation, Pine Bluff and Jefferson County
This team will evaluate the grant proposal process (RFP) to maximize the beneficial effect of the Pine Bluff Area Community Foundation’s $70,000 in discretionary grantable income. Methods will include conducting best practices research and the development of community partnerships.
Safe Places, Pulaski County
Safe Places works in the community to help children, young people and families create safe homes, schools and communities through counseling, advocacy, support and education. This team will assist in the continuing work of the Safe Places Training Institute and in the development of an alliance to coordinate a county-wide response to violence.
Sustainable Business Network of Central Arkansas, Central Arkansas
The Sustainable Business Network of Central Arkansas supports the growth and development of the sustainable and green business community in Central Arkansas. This team will help pilot and launch the Sustainable Business Certification Program to increase the number of Central Arkansas businesses that conserve energy, water and paper resources, promote social justice, and improve economic conditions in the communities they serve.
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